Ronnie Johns, chairman of the Gaming Control Board, revealed that the long-awaited option to place sports bets through mobile devices will go live in the state of Louisiana at 8:00 AM on January 28th. Mr. Johns also said that mobile sports betting is expected to be huge in the state.
A number of online gambling operators, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook and BetFred, will be among the first to start accepting bets on sports events through their mobile applications. The boss of Louisiana’s gambling regulatory body, however, said that he was unable to confirm which ones of these companies are planning to start offering mobile sports betting as of January 28th. He shared that the main goal of the watchdog and the operators was to have the new form of gambling available before the biggest sports event of the year – the Super Bowl – so they had been to get this done even earlier.
Retail sports betting services became available at casinos across the state of Louisiana in October 2021, and reports have shown that local residents placed more than 67 million wagers in land-based sportsbooks in November and December 2021. However, getting the mobile sports betting platform done took more time.
The state’s gambling regulatory body tracked the figures at 11 sportsbooks that have been active during the aforementioned months. According to reports, they have registered an overall number of 67.1 million wagers and generated almost $10.1 million in the last two months of 2021. Experts say that volume is set to exponentially rise in the months to come thanks to the addition of the mobile sports betting option.
Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM Among the First Ones to Offer Mobile Sports Betting Services
Voters in 55 of the 64 Louisiana parishes gave the green light to the legalization of sports betting in their communities in the fall of 2020. However, the legalization process took some time, as local lawmakers had to set up the framework for taxation and regulation of the new form of gambling in their 2021 spring Legislative Session. Sports betting remains banned in the parishes where voters rejected the proposed gambling expansion – Catahoula, Caldwell, Winn, Union, Franklin, Sabine, LaSalle, Jackson, and West Carroll.
Two of the major sports betting operators – BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook – have confirmed they are expected to be ready for the official launch of the new form of gambling on January 28th.
For over a month, Caesars Sportsbook has been eagerly promoting mobile sports betting in the state. The co-presidents of Caesars Digital, Eric Hession, issued a statement to confirm that the company is ready for the debut of mobile sports betting in Louisiana tomorrow. He further noted that the addition of the new form of gambling was something Caesars had been working hard towards for quite some time and its app is expected to offer the residents of the state the best rewards and most competitive odds available in the market.
The CEO of BetMGM, Adam Greenblatt, also confirmed that his company was ready for the official launch of mobile sports betting in Louisiana on Friday. He shared that the company’s team is proud that it will be part of the first wave of operators to start offering the new form of gambling in the state.
So far, a total of 13 sports betting licenses for online sportsbook services have been issued by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. A 14th sportsbook is situated at the Marksville-based Paragon Casino, but the venue is operated by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Lousiana and is not currently regulated by the state’s gambling watchdog.
According to reports, a third sports betting option – so-called retail kiosks situated in restaurants and bars – could be ready to start operation in Louisiana in March 2022. However, they will be placed under the regulation and control of the Louisiana Lottery.
